ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. degree — from a university
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bass — low music
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. branch — a division
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. cue — a hint
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. cue — for pool
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. snap — to click
  18. kick — in football
  19. cue — a signal
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bass — the fish
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. snap — to speak sharply

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com